Data source
The files behind the figures, the check against the Census Bureau's own table, and the other sources some pages show next to the survey.
The survey and the files
- Survey: American Housing Survey (AHS) 2023, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Files: AHS 2023 National Public Use File, version 1.1, and AHS 2023 Metropolitan Public Use File, version 1.1, both released on January 22, 2025.
- Where to get them: the Census Bureau's AHS file directory, www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/2023/.
- What we read: the job records (kind of job, cost, who did the work, year, main source of money) and, for each home, its weight, location, size, value and features, together with the flags that mark values the Census Bureau changed.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, American Housing Survey 2023, national and metropolitan public use files. The calculations are our own. The Census Bureau has not reviewed or endorsed this site or its figures.
The price index
- Series: price index for residential improvements, that is, home improvements (National Income and Product Accounts, Table 5.4.4, line 46; series B946RG), U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
- Where to get it: the BEA publishes all series of its national accounts in one text file, apps.bea.gov/national/Release/TXT/NipaDataQ.txt. The figures here use the file released September 30, 2026; its latest quarter is the second quarter of 2026.
- What we do with it: a cost reported for a job done in a given year is multiplied by the latest value of the index divided by that year's average. The methodology page lists the factors and compares the index with three years of the survey.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Income and Product Accounts. The BEA has not reviewed or endorsed this site or its figures.
Estimates by type of equipment
- Report: "Updated Buildings Sector Appliance and Equipment Costs and Efficiencies", Appendix A, U.S. Energy Information Administration, released March 23, 2023.
- Where to get it: eia.gov/analysis/studies/buildings/equipcosts/.
- What we take from it: the row "Total Installed Cost" for a typical and a high-efficiency unit, for 13 kinds of residential equipment, as the report gives them for the year 2022. They are shown as estimates on 3 pages and are never combined with the survey figures. See the methodology page.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency has not reviewed or endorsed this site or its figures.
Estimates by type of insulation
- Database: "National Residential Efficiency Measures Database", version 4.0.0, released April 3, 2024, National Laboratory of the Rockies, a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy.
- Where to get it: remdb.nlr.gov. That site loads a single data file, db.json. That is the file we use.
- What we take from it: the cost equations for 13 types of insulation in 4 parts of a home (attic floor, exterior walls, floor over a crawlspace and basement walls), as retrofit costs in 2023 dollars. They are shown as estimates on the insulation page and are never combined with the survey figures. See the methodology page.
- What the laboratory bases them on: for these types it lists retail and distributor websites, RS Means and Homewyse as its sources.
Credit: DOE/NLR/ALLIANCE (U.S. Department of Energy; National Laboratory of the Rockies; Alliance for Sustainable Energy). The laboratory has not reviewed or endorsed this site or its figures.
Notice that comes with the data: "Data Use Disclaimer Agreement. Access to and use of these Data shall impose the following obligations on the user, as set forth in this Agreement. The user is granted the right, without any fee or cost, to use, copy, modify, alter, enhance and distribute these Data for any purpose whatsoever, provided that this entire notice appears in all copies of the Data. Further, the user agrees to credit DOE/NLR/ALLIANCE in any publication that results from the use of these Data. The names DOE/NLR/ALLIANCE, however, may not be used in any advertising or publicity to endorse or promote any products or commercial entities unless specific written permission is obtained from DOE/NLR/ ALLIANCE. The user also understands that DOE/NLR/Alliance is not obligated to provide the user with any support, consulting, training or assistance of any kind with regard to the use of these Data or to provide the user with any updates, revisions or new versions of these Data."
County and city permit records
From each permit we keep the date, the dollar value, a size and the kind of work. No names, addresses or permit numbers are kept. How the records are used and tested
- City of Seattle: "Trade Permits", from data.seattle.gov. Used on the HVAC replacement and furnace replacement pages. The City of Seattle makes no claims as to the completeness, accuracy, timeliness or content of this data; it is used at one's own risk. Terms of use
- Montgomery County, Maryland: "Residential Permit", from data.montgomerycountymd.gov. Used on the deck, porch and patio page. Montgomery County makes this data available on an "as is" and "as available" basis and makes no representations or warranties as to its completeness, accuracy or timeliness. Terms of use
- Miami-Dade County: "Building Permits Issued By Miami-Dade County - 2 Previous Years to Present", from gis-mdc.opendata.arcgis.com. Used on the roof replacement page. Miami-Dade County provides this data for use "as is" and does not guarantee that it is accurate, correct or complete. Terms of use
- City of Chicago: "Building Permits", from data.cityofchicago.org. Used on the fence page. The City of Chicago makes this data available on an "as is" basis and makes no warranty as to its content, accuracy, timeliness or completeness. Terms of use
Notice required by Montgomery County, Maryland: "The data made available here has been modified for use from its original source, which is Montgomery County, Maryland ("the County"). THE COUNTY MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE COMPLETENESS, ACCURACY, OR TIMELINESS OF ANY DATA. THE COUNTY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE COUNTY MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY AS TO THE WEBISTE OR APPLICATION USING DATA DRAWN FROM DATA.MONTGOMERYCOUNTYMD.GOV OR FOR THE USEFULNESS OR INTEGRITY OF THE WEB SITE OR APPLICATION. The data is subject to change and possible deletion, temporarily or permanently. It is understood that the information contained in the web feed is being used at one's own risk."
Notice required by the City of Chicago: "This site provides applications using data that has been modified for use from its original source, www.cityofchicago.org, the official website of the City of Chicago. The City of Chicago makes no claims as to the content, accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of any of the data provided at this site. The data provided at this site is subject to change at any time. It is understood that the data provided at this site is being used at one’s own risk."
None of these counties and cities has reviewed or endorsed this site or its figures.
Check against the Census Bureau's own table
The Census Bureau publishes a workbook, "Table Specifications and PUF Estimates for User Verification", for users to test their calculations; its table C-16-OO covers home improvement costs. Each time our data is built, the number of jobs, the median and the mean of every row are recalculated from the national file, with every record included as the Bureau does. 35 of 35 rows match.
The figures elsewhere on this site differ from this table on purpose: they leave out the costs the Census Bureau filled in, separate professional from do-it-yourself jobs, and are in 2026 prices.
| Survey category | Jobs, ours | Jobs, Census | Median, ours | Median, Census | Mean, ours | Mean, Census |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All jobs | 139,946 | 139,946 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $6,170 | $6,170 |
| Earthquake damage required extensive repairs to home | 31 | 31 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $6,050 | $6,050 |
| Tornado or hurricane damage required extensive repairs to home | 663 | 663 | $8,600 | $8,600 | $23,120 | $23,120 |
| Fire damage required extensive repairs to home | 129 | 129 | $21,000 | $21,000 | $64,850 | $64,850 |
| Flood damage required extensive repairs to home | 214 | 214 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $18,370 | $18,370 |
| Other natural disaster damage required extensive repairs to home | 1,133 | 1,133 | $12,800 | $12,800 | $19,800 | $19,800 |
| Added bedroom or converted existing space to bedroom | 557 | 557 | $7,000 | $7,000 | $19,480 | $19,480 |
| Added bathroom or converted existing space to bathroom | 329 | 329 | $14,200 | $14,200 | $21,220 | $21,220 |
| Added recreation room or converted existing space to recreation room | 186 | 186 | $16,000 | $16,000 | $18,410 | $18,410 |
| Added kitchen or converted existing space to kitchen | 173 | 173 | $30,000 | $30,000 | $42,010 | $42,010 |
| Added other room or converted existing space to other room | 989 | 989 | $7,000 | $7,000 | $23,450 | $23,450 |
| Remodeled bathroom | 7,467 | 7,467 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $9,313 | $9,313 |
| Remodeled kitchen | 4,965 | 4,965 | $8,000 | $8,000 | $16,950 | $16,950 |
| Added attached garage or carport | 945 | 945 | $4,700 | $4,700 | $16,780 | $16,780 |
| Added porch, deck, patio, or terrace | 3,863 | 3,863 | $4,800 | $4,800 | $8,857 | $8,857 |
| Added or replaced roofing | 8,301 | 8,301 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $11,610 | $11,610 |
| Added or replaced siding | 2,263 | 2,263 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $8,993 | $8,993 |
| Added or replaced doors or windows | 7,892 | 7,892 | $2,800 | $2,800 | $5,916 | $5,916 |
| Added or replaced chimney, stairs or other part of exterior | 1,852 | 1,852 | $2,100 | $2,100 | $4,593 | $4,593 |
| Added or replaced insulation | 3,057 | 3,057 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $2,506 | $2,506 |
| Added or replaced interior water pipes | 3,589 | 3,589 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $2,911 | $2,911 |
| Added or replaced plumbing fixtures | 9,918 | 9,918 | $540 | $540 | $1,979 | $1,979 |
| Added or replaced electrical wiring, fuse boxes, breaker panels, or built-in lighting | 6,595 | 6,595 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $2,905 | $2,905 |
| Added or replaced security system | 6,934 | 6,934 | $430 | $430 | $876 | $876 |
| Installed carpeting, flooring, paneling, ceiling tiles or drywall | 10,945 | 10,945 | $3,000 | $3,000 | $4,828 | $4,828 |
| Added or replaced central air conditioning and Added or replaced built-in heating equipment | 12,803 | 12,803 | $5,500 | $5,500 | $6,835 | $6,835 |
| Added or replaced septic tank | 548 | 548 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $7,924 | $7,924 |
| Added or replaced water heater and Added or replaced built-in dishwasher or garbage disposal | 16,380 | 16,380 | $800 | $800 | $1,148 | $1,148 |
| Other major improvements or repairs inside home (up to three could be reported) | 3,414 | 3,414 | $2,100 | $2,100 | $7,894 | $7,894 |
| Added or replaced driveways or walkways | 4,593 | 4,593 | $2,900 | $2,900 | $5,032 | $5,032 |
| Added or replaced fencing or walls | 5,700 | 5,700 | $2,300 | $2,300 | $3,941 | $3,941 |
| Added or replaced swimming pool, tennis court, or other recreational structure | 1,442 | 1,442 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $15,300 | $15,300 |
| Added or replaced shed, detached garage, or other building | 2,967 | 2,967 | $3,000 | $3,000 | $7,681 | $7,681 |
| Added or replaced landscaping or sprinkler system | 7,040 | 7,040 | $1,400 | $1,400 | $3,898 | $3,898 |
| Other major improvements or repairs to lot or yard (up to three could be reported) | 2,070 | 2,070 | $3,000 | $3,000 | $6,200 | $6,200 |
The Census Bureau rounds means to four significant digits; ours are rounded the same way for this comparison.
How many records
- Owners of 28,192 owner-occupied homes were interviewed for the national file. 16,523 of them reported at least one job.
- They reported 44,689 jobs, 42,703 of them with a cost above $0.
- In 6,794 job records the cost was filled in or edited by the Census Bureau. These are not used for the figures on the job pages.
Places the files identify
Regions and divisions. The national file gives each home's Census division. The files do not identify states.
| Region | Division | States |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast | New England | Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont |
| Northeast | Middle Atlantic | New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania |
| Midwest | East North Central | Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin |
| Midwest | West North Central | Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota |
| South | South Atlantic | Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia |
| South | East South Central | Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee |
| South | West South Central | Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas |
| West | Mountain | Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming |
| West | Pacific | Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington |
Metro areas. The national file identifies the 15 largest metro areas: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Riverside-San Bernardino, San Francisco-Oakland, Seattle, Washington, DC. The 2023 metropolitan file adds 5 more: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Milwaukee, New Orleans. Metro areas follow the 2013 federal definitions; for example, "Atlanta" stands for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA.